Chapter 144: Danny XIII

Chapter 144: Danny XIII—More Than He Deserved

 

            The boy had been overexcited, overwhelmed with adrenaline and anger. It had been a day out of the ordinary. Danny had almost been terrified of Jonathan, the look in his eyes as he had screamed, “I hate you!” at him. None of it had seemed real at that point. Danny saw the blood on the ice and he had known that it was real. And that did nothing to ease his conscience.

            Danny’s first shift wasn’t until five minutes into the period. He scrambled onto the ice and went straight into the scrumming grinding chaos in the offensive zone. The sticks zapped and stung at his legs and waist as he positioned himself in front of the net. He was waiting for a tip in or a deflection. He could feel Belfour’s stick sliding up his groin. Danny hopped forward and shook it away.

            Of course the boy hated him. Boys were smart. They saw things and understood them long before the adults ever did. Danny didn’t know why that was so, how a child could perceive the things that they did. It was uncanny.

            Danny skated close to Darcy Tucker, blowing air across his neck as he tangled with him in the defensive zone. Tucker finally lost his temper and slugged Danny on the head. But the ref didn’t see it or refused to. Danny barked at the ref and as he turned around he saw a shot zip at the net. Patty made a crisp butterfly for a save but Tucker beat Danny to the rebound and point black shot it at Patty. The goalie caught the puck in his glove and held it up for the Toronto crowd to see.

            Danny was aching about it. He had thought that when he kissed Michele and she stopped him, when he was aware that Jonathan had seen him, that that would be it. He had been shamed into repentance for that and Jonathan’s quick willingness to forgive him had been more than he deserved. He had been given a way out.

            Danny watched from the bench in near horror as the Sakic line was deep in the defensive zone. As he was coming up the boards, Joe threw a cross ice pass meant for Peter that was so ill advised Mats Sundin immediately picked it up and fired it at Patrick.

            “Patty’s on his game tonight!” Joey said breathlessly as he sat down next to Danny on the bench. “Bailed me out! I can’t believe I coughed the puck to Sundin like that! That was a great save I gotta get him a Happy Meal later.”

            “Yikes,” Danny replied.

            “Eh,” Joe said and he grinned wickedly at Danny. “Patty needs the exercise anyway. Besides you haveta admit, it was a great pass!”

            Danny wanted to believe that he had taken that outlet. He hadn’t made any overtures to Michele. Well not directly. It was Cecile he loved! How could he forget about Cecile? She was so young and quiet, and everything that the friends he had wasn’t. She was civilized! And she was beautiful and the way she held onto him, the way she kissed him. Plus the devotion she showed him! He couldn’t forget that. She had left her home in New York for him; she was defying her family and her religion for him. She was deceiving her mother for him. How could he be so inconstant to her?

            Danny was on his toes as he leaned over the boards watching Patrick. The crowd was in a constant buzz of oooh and aaaah as it seemed a sure thing for a Maple Leaf goal. Patrick was giving them nothing. It gave Danny the chills in a way. How could someone be so focused and centered on a task at hand that they willingly volunteered to have a game sitting on their shoulders like this. Patrick slid out almost to the hash marks on his belly and he covered the puck for the whistle.

            And what did Jonathan see that he hadn’t?

            Danny couldn’t deny that he was somewhat in love with Michele. There was something almost magic about her laugh and her teasing and the way her eyes sparkled when she sighed and smiled. And her heart was so pure, beautiful, and generous! The things she did for people she barely knew and then he thought of the bruises on her body. Then he thought of the scratches on Patrick. How could anyone let her be treated that way? He had never told her that though, and she never led on that she might know something. How would Jonathan know as much?

            It was in center ice when a pass bounced of a Maple Leaf skate and off his own. Danny tried to get the puck but it slid off and Alex Mogilny picked it up.

            “Shit!” he muttered over and over as he and Keaner tagged after Mogilny, trying to stop him. Mogilny fired a shot and a sliding Footer blocked the most of it leaving a simple scoop up for Patty.

            Danny looked up at the jumbotron as the whistle blew. Thirty-three saves for Patty. Nothing had got by yet.

            Well Jonathan was in school now. Danny thought to himself. He had no reason to go back to the house during the week unless Cecile was there. That would be a good start. He didn’t need to be eating so much of her food and taking up so much of her time. He needed to be cleansed of it!

            Danny leaned forward on the bench, watching the Peter, Sakic, Modano line fly down the ice. The puck seemed to glide between the three without interference.

            “Atta boy! Atta boy! Gotta get it slide it score it come on atta boy!” Keaner was yelling practically in Danny’s ear.

            Joe was ahead of them in the offensive zone and he dropped the puck behind him where it seemed to lay for an eternity before Mike Modano picked it up and snapped it into the net. An angered Eddie Belfour smacked his stick on the ice and boos came from all around.

            “Yeah!” Keaner barked and Danny patted him on the back.

            What was swimming in her eyes the last time he had seen her? It stuck inside Danny’s brain. He could tell she had been crying again, and she had the blood smeared on her. She had dropped a glass and Patrick was sleeping upstairs. What had happened? It was none of his business! Danny knew that was the truth, it was none of his business!

            The minute began to wind down in the third period. The Toronto net had been emptied for the extra attacker. With only a 1-0 lead it was desperate.

            “Noter!” Joe barked as he jumped back onto the bench and Danny was filing off it.

            “Yeah?” Hinote replied.

            “Keep that shut out for Patty! Don’t screw it up!”

            “Don’t worry,” Keaner called back and Danny felt his jaw tighten as they skated into the zone. This was a delicate business, to preserve a shut out. Of course he felt that a goalie deserved a tremendous amount of credit for a shut out, after all they made the saves that built one. But he knew the last minute responsibility of helping to preserve a shut out. It was a courtesy and one not to be taken lightly.

            The Leafs were attacking furiously down low and Danny was beginning to feel a slight sense of panic. He couldn’t seem to get his bearings straight as the Leafs were maintaining full possession of the puck and passing it crisply between each other as if it were a five on three.

            Danny took a moment to glance up at the clock. Ten seconds... he saw the puck zip past him and Messier’s stick found it. Yelling as he did so, Mess floated the puck up the ice where it zipped down and smacked the inside of the Leafs’ net. The crowd was silenced and Danny felt a relief.

            Four seconds and the game was over.

            They filed to Patrick for the congratulatory helmet bumps and words.

            “Merci!” Patrick kept saying over and over with a smile as sweet as any child’s. And his eyes were calm and contented, pretty and blue as they twinkled to every teammate. “Merci! I could not have had a shut out without you!”

            “Great great!” Keaner was saying and he kissed the side of Patty’s helmet getting a good-natured cuff on the side of his face from Patty.

            “Great game Patty!” Danny said when he got to the goalie and he patted him on the arm.

            “Not without your help my friend,” Patty said quietly and he patted Danny on the cheeks with his damp, overheated blocker glove. Such large, childish eyes he had. It caused a lump in Hinote’s throat.

             The way she had slid her palm on his cheek, the begging look in her eyes. That made it his business! The woman was begging for help! She was aware of the tightknit code the hockey players stuck too and their wives as well. She was not telling anybody about the things she went through but her eyes were pleading for someone. Why was it acceptable that she help others in trouble and no one was supposed to help her? It wasn’t right.

            But it was none of his business.